by Cora Blu
“What about the detective?”
“I can’t wait on the detective. He works within the line. Until I find Sim, I am the line.”
“Seth, this is way over our heads.”
“Mikhail, this is what I did every day. You never lose this kind of training. You just hope you never have to use it again.”
“Why is that?” Mikhail asked
“Somebody always dies.”
Twelve
Never play all your cards at once; you never know when you may need that ace. In this case, Seth’s ace happened to be a guy he bunked with for five years in the military.
“First, the hotel is being watched, so we’ll go out the service entrance,” Seth said. “Dmitri found the trail from the van that took her. She’s about nine miles from here in an abandoned barn. Let's go. I don't know about you, but my woman could be being tortured as we stand here. I think losing a baby was torture enough.” They jogged down to Mikhail’s truck.
Seth and Mikhail were on their way to meet Dmitri down from the barn. He located the van that took Sim—four miles from the hotel.
“She’ll be okay,” Mikhail said.
Seth watched as Mikhail turned the gun repeatedly, as if he’d never seen one before. We are so different, he thought.
“She’s a lot tougher than people think,” Mikhail said and tucked the gun inside his coat pocket.
“That’s just it.” Distress left his face as he went into his military mental zone. “I don’t want her tough. I love her just the way she is. She’s loving and caring. She’s all woman. She’s soft, but she’s no push over. I don’t want another military woman.” He looked at his brother out the corner of his eye.
“Don’t worry, Seth. I know she’s off limits. You don’t think I know you stayed with her last night. It’s on your face—in your walk.”
“Mikhail, you don’t get it.”
“Makes you feel good to be around her, doesn’t it?”
He tossed a sideways glance at his brother. “Alive—she makes me feel alive.”
“I’ll admit that when I saw her in the shower and she had the towel on…” He held a hand up. “Calm down. I can see the veins in your temple throbbing. Like I was saying, she has a peacefulness about her, comforting. When I saw you two together, I was surprised you weren’t married.”
“Whatever happens between us, it can’t happen until we get her out safely.” They finish the drive in silence. He finally finds a woman he would give his live for and what she wants he can’t give her. Reality was a cruel bastard.
Old abandoned farms dot the countryside, just miles from town. Now they look like excerpts from old movie trailers, where the farms go on forever. This was one of those areas were if you weren’t familiar with the terrain, don’t drive it at night. There were no lights out this far.
The hairpin curves made it tricky driving without headlights. They parked the SUV behind a rise of trees. Moist ground and darkness camouflaged their ascent. Seth could see a barn about a hundred yards away from them. His heart rate spiked. His head wasn’t right. Focus on Sim. He shifted into military mode and all his senses heightened. His attention narrowed to one target, the bastard who had Sim must die.
He climbed out of the SUV and gently closed the door. His body relaxed when he saw his friend.
Dmitri walked over to them, five feet eleven, medium build, blond hair pulled back into a ponytail—the way Seth had seen him the first day they met. The black cargos and black windbreaker made his signature look.
No need to ask what he was carrying. Dmitri wore his Sig Sauer the way Seth wore his Gerber LMF knife tucked into the waistband of his pants.
Another man stepped from the truck. Crazy, as everyone called him, his big body made the truck rock as he got out. He looked like he ate people for lunch. They greet each other with the man signature hug, opposite shoulder’s bump one another.
“Damn, man, he looks just like you,” Dmitri said, adjusting his hat to cover his hair. “This Simone must be something else.” He checked his watch.
“She is,” Seth agreed.
“Mikhail, meet Crazy. That’s what we all call him. Don’t ask why.”
“Long as you’re on our team, I don’t care what your name is.” Mikhail shook the man’s hand.
“You don't put up with the ladies this long, Seth, especially the American women. Unless it's with another lady…”
“That was more your territory, not mine, Dmitri. Let’s do this. They already shot her in the thigh. She took out two wolves in the woods thinking I was in danger. I want her out in one piece before she tries to take them on herself.”
“Damn, you’re dating a warrior woman.” Dmitri checked his guns and knives before throwing a grin at Seth.
Seth went into op’s mode and shut his emotions down.
“Let's get your woman back. This is how it's going down. I've checked out the area. There’s a couple trees out back and a little shed. Two guys. I didn't see your girl, but if it’s set up like a regular barn, they have her in the tackle room.
“Windows?” Seth asked, peering into the dark.
“Boarded. The big door is the only way in or out,” Dmitri said.
“Who’s in first?” Mikhail asked.
“I’ll get ’em to come out,” Dmitri said, adjusting his fingerless leather gloves. “Seth, you're with me. Mikhail, you and Crazy go inside—find Simone. Get her the hell outta there, then to the hospital—get her checked out. ”
Seth placed a hand on his brother’s shoulders and that twin connection he’d always heard of lanced through his body. His brother was by his side. Dmitri broke into his moment.
“Seth and I will make sure we leave no evidence, but until we see she’s in there, we need one man alive in case they moved her.”
Seth ground his back teeth together.
“If you encounter any trouble on the road, Crazy, you know what to do. Seth, you know how we're going in?”
“Yeah.” He was strapped for combat.
“Okay, gentleman.” Tapping them on the shoulders, Dmitri was a straight ninja.
“Wait,” Mikhail said. “We know she’s been shot, but can I move her?” He looked at his brother and saw so much pain.
Seth said, “If she can’t walk, carry her out and let Crazy have your back. Keep pressure on her wound though.”
“We'll be the only one's leaving alive. Let's go get her. And both sets of parents are under protection. You’re getting your entire family back safe and sound. Now let’s go get your woman.”
Seth patted Dmitri on the back. “Thanks, man.”
~~~
Seth about squeezed the handle off his knife at his side. The sight of one of Simone’s kidnappers standing in the barn door entry sickened him. The cool air moved the man’s jacket, making him more visible. He would pay for hurting the woman Seth loved. He eased back as the man moved closer to the entry.
“What’s that noise, Luckasz?” Gregori said.
“I don’t see anything. Maybe a cat or raccoon. I’ll check around,” Luckasz said. Dmitri crouched in the tree just above the man. Seth watched from the side of the barn, eager to put his fist through somebody’s face. He waited for Dmitri. Seeing him hold up a hand, Seth crouched behind the barn door as one of the men came out of the barn.
Dmitri leapt on the man under the tree. Seth slipped into the barn just as Dmitri landed a blow to the man’s face. It sounded like a batman comic strip.
“Luckasz, did you hear that?” the stocky man asked. Seth watched the other man from his dark corner seeing him at the barn door. He took a second look, making certain another guy wasn’t hiding in there. “Don’t be out here screwing around. I’m gonna check the girl.” He turned to go inside and Seth blocked his path.
Seth’s vision smoked over in red. He lunged for the other man, catching him around the waist, taking him to the barn floor. He wanted to kill him as he pounded a fist into the man’s face. Gregori grabbed the handle of a hoe off the
floor, cracking Seth over the back before kicking him in the ribcage.
“Your girl was fun.”
Seth fell back and scrambled to his feet seconds before the blade end of the hoe made contact with his face. A vision of the stairwell and the Simone’s blood on the floor flashed through his mind in vivid color. He drew back his fist and all the strength in his body was in the palm of his hand when he hit the man next.
He slammed into the wall. Seth let go, beating the man repeatedly. Simone’s blood was all he could see. His body worked on impulse, hitting the man in his kidneys. When he fell forward, Seth shoved him back against the wall.
“Here I am, asshole. Not man enough to come after me? You pick on a woman, my woman,” he blurted out between blows. Spittle flying from his mouth as his emotions surfaced for what the man did to Simone.
“Hey, come on, man,” Dmitri said, pulling him off the man. “That’s enough. Let’s find your girl first. If they moved her before we got in here, we need him. If she’s here, he’s yours.”
Seth stumbled back wiping a sleeve across his mouth. “I think he raped Sim.” That’s all Seth could wrap his mind around. Even in the cold night air, he was sweating. His mind set on avenging his Sim, killing the man, and if Dmitri hadn’t come along, he would have.
“Go get her,” Dmitri said, angling him away from the pile of flesh on the floor. “I’ll take care of this. Send Crazy out.” He looked at Seth and touched his shoulder. “I’m sorry, man. That’s messed up. Take a minute compose yourself. She needs you and then you can have this punk.”
Seth wiped his mouth with his sleeve and stumbled deeper into the barn. He moved passed empty stalls and his heart churned with cold blood. He had to stay calm for Simone.
Thirteen
Simone heard something scrape across the old damp floorboards. Was she about to have a night visit again? She prepared herself. Working out her agitation on her bottom lip, she listened, chewing the skin into ragged flesh.
“I will not die. I will not die. I will not die.” She repeated to herself, listening to the scraping noise getting closer to the doorway.
Someone was coming toward her.
Slow… slow… scrape.
Tension built with each second. She could feel them getting closer. Her inner strength was gearing up for another fight. She fought him off earlier. This time there was only one target—family jewels—grab and twist. She held the rag on her thigh and breathed slow. She would not pass out again.
Slow…slow…slower. Stop. They were right outside her door.
“Simone, answer me,” a man whispered.
Okay now she was losing her mind. That sounded like Mikhail. No way was she falling for that. Why not just open the door so we can get this fight started? she wondered.
The damp musty odor was oppressing. Mikhail spoke through the thick, splintered door. “Come on, Simone. Answer me. I need to get you out of here. Where are you?”
She jerked her chain, forgetting her restraints after hearing him. “Mikhail! Is that you?” Light came back to her eyes. Her palms itched. She wanted him. She needed to know he was real. Real flesh. Real bone. Real Mikhail.
“Yeah, Simone, it’s me. What's behind the door? Stand back,” he told her. “Mikhail, there’s a key on the wall. I’m not sure how close it is, but they always used a key.” Her voice muffled from her swollen lip.
“Hold on,” he said. The door shook twice before Mikhail’s booted foot kicked it in followed by his large frame. An angle of bright light poured across the bed with Mikhail swinging a flashlight back and forth.
She watched a crush of pain take over his handsome face.
Simone’s jaw was red and swollen. Her sweatshirt showed the bloodstain around the hem, her jeans bloody down one leg. She leaned into the cot, holding her leg. Her clothes were rumpled and her ankle was chained to the bed. She looked up at him and smiled, then winced.
“Simone.” He called out. Moonlight crept around the edge of the boarded up window and time seemed to lock up and halt. He couldn’t get to her fast enough.
“Shit, who did this to your face?” Kissing her face, he pulled back once she started to wheeze from the pain of him squeezing her. “Let me see.”
After a couple harsh expletives, Mikhail ripped the sheet and bandaged her thigh with the strip. “I gotta get you outta here,” he said, slipping an arm under her. She bulked against his intentions.
“Wait… the chain is still connected to the bed,” she said, listening to his ragged breathing.
“Damnit!”
“Mikhail, where’s Seth?” She didn’t care that her voice begged for that answer. Her heart wanted Seth.
“Hold still, Simone. You’re bleeding.
“Where is he, Mikhail—Seth?” She openly pleaded with her hand on his face. “He’s coming,” he said absently, looking around the dank room. “Where’s the key to the chains?”
“I think Luckasz, the bigger guy, kept it in his pocket,” she said.
“Alright. Take this flashlight.”
A large shadow fell over Mikhail. Simone screamed out seconds before the man held up a large key ring, and Mikhail spun around.
“This wall behind me is Crazy.”
“He’s crazy?” Her eyes expanded as she scooted to the edge of the bed.
“No, miss. They call me Crazy. You may call me by my proper name. Edward Kingsley.”
After sharing a quick glance with Mikhail, she held her hand out. “Edward, nice to meet you. Sorry I’m such a mess right now.” She jerked her hand back. Dried blood on her palm. Scrubbing her hand down her pant leg, she offered him the other, which he took without pause.
“Not all messes are unpleasant to the eye. Seth was right to call us in.” What should have been a compliment gave her the willy’s after everything that’s happened. “We’ll get you out safely,” he said and touched the gun on his hip. The movement drew her eyes to the knife strapped to his leg. Seth called in some serious back up. “Seth is good people, miss. You must be very special for him to call us in.” He turned to Mikhail and spoke low. “She’s hurt pretty bad.”
“It’s okay, Edward. I know I’m hurt pretty bad. You don’t have to whisper.”
The man tweaked a crooked smiled in her direction, then inclined his head and stepped from the room. If she weren’t in so much pain, she would have smiled back. Mikhail touched her chin. She sucked in a breath.
“I need to get you to a doctor. She pressed a hand to her ever-pounding headache. Mikhail unchained her. Scuffling sounds came from outside the room. She craned her neck and sighed when she heard Seth’s deep timber.
“Sim! Where are you? Talk to me.”
“In here,” Mikhail called out. “She needs a doctor. Now.”
Seth and Dmitri came in with the two men. Luckasz was unconscious and Gregori held his busted nose and broken arm. Simone’s heart tightened. In the dusty light, she could see pain on Seth’s handsome face, his breathing labored. Everything was quiet as he approached the bed.
She swallowed, forcing back the tear threatening to fall. Fear and anger rose from his body in thick pulses of heat. She didn’t care the others were there. She needed this, his lips brushing over her nose as he composed himself. His hands examined her body blindly in the dim glow of the flashlights.
“Be careful—my leg,” she warned, his fingers flexing on her waist above the wound.
“Who hurt you—tell me.” Seth locked eyes with her and she felt the tear slide down her nose before dripping off her chin. His voice came out between clinched teeth when he said, “I know what happened. Tell me who raped you, Sim?”
Shaking her head, she couldn’t get the words out. Seth kissed her under her swollen cheek and she watched the gentle side of him leave. The man facing her now was a military man. Emotions closed off and calm.
He shot a look up to Dmitri. “Take her outside. Get her to the hospital.”
Dmitri placed a hand on Seth’s shoulder and she liked the man alre
ady.
“I fought him off—no more fighting now. Just get me out of here.”
“Seth,” Dmitri said. Let me make sure your girl’s okay first,” he said, looking at Simone. “Do you mind if I look? I’m Dmitri by the way.” He extended his hand.
“Hi, Dmitri,” she said. She untied the rag and sucked in a breath. Part of her jeans had stuck to her skin. Catching Dmitri’s face angling toward Seth the same time she had told her they were thinking the same thing. How would Seth react to him touching her? Seth nodded and the man ripped her jeans down to her knee. Fists balled, Simone bit down on her lip, groaning from the pain.
“Nobody cleaned this?” Dmitri asked, dabbing the edges around the wound with the rag.
She tilted her head as Seth held her face up to the flashlight. “You gonna tell me who did this?” he asked.
She looked at Gregori, with his busted nose, then back to Seth. “I think I can walk if you hold me up.”
“Him?” Seth groaned, pointing to the man clutching his nose. He touched the hilt of his knife on his hip. Simone grabbed his hand.
“Let it go—here—help me up.” Holding out an arm, she moaned as Mikhail and Dmitri helped her up. Wrapping her in his coat, Mikhail slid his arms beneath her and gently picked her up and headed for the door. The jostling made her head swim, but she couldn’t leave Seth.
“Get her to the hospital, Mikhail,” Seth said, dragging Gregori to his feet. He pressed a gun to the man’s temple and Simone exploded.
“No—put me down.” She shoved at Mikhail’s hard body. “You’ll go to prison, Seth.” She jerked and fought growing weaker with the amount of blood she’d lost. “He’s not worth jail, Seth—please,” she begged, still struggling. Breathing hard, she slumped in and stop fighting. Mikhail gripped her closer.
“Simone, these men terrorized our families,” Mikhail said.
“She’s beginning to lose consciousness,” Dmitri said to Mikhail. “Here take the truck. We’ll meet you and Crazy at the hospital.”
